Starting December 1, in areas where there are sufficient supplies of COVID-19 vaccines, COVID-19 vaccination of eligible employees to do on-site work shall be required by all establishments and employers in the public and private sector, in compliance with the directives of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, per Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque.
In the Laging Handa Press Briefing aired today, Roque said the Inter-Agency Task Force approved measures to employ a whole-of-government solution to increase demand for COVID-19 vaccination.
However, Roque underscored that eligible employees who remain to be unvaccinated may not be terminated but instead will be required to undergo regular RT-PCR testing, or antigen tests, at their own expense.
Roque added that public and private establishments may validly refuse entry and/or deny service to individuals who remain to be unvaccinated, or are merely partially vaccinated, despite being eligible for vaccination. Frontline and emergency services, on the other hand, shall continue to render assistance to all persons, regardless of vaccination status.
Public transportation services in the road, rail, maritime, and aviation sectors shall likewise require all their eligible workers to be fully vaccinated as a condition to continue their operations, Roque added.
For workers who are willing to get vaccinated during work hours, Roque said they shall not be considered absent upon sufficient proof of a confirmed vaccination schedule.
To ramp up demand for vaccination, local government units (LGUs) are strongly enjoined to issue orders or ordinances providing incentives for fully vaccinated individuals, and for business establishments to require proof of vaccination before individuals and/or entities may undertake or qualify for certain activities.
Accordingly, only the presentation of a medical clearance issued by a government health office, or birth certificate, as the case may be, shall serve as sufficient and valid proof of ineligibility for vaccination.
Moreover, all government agencies are enjoined to implement measures prioritizing fully vaccinated individuals availing of government programs and services.
